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Shippers' FAQs/Info/Rules - Updated! READ FIRST!!

FAQs

The information provided includes part of Encyclopika’s previous Rule Thread and many additional ones that the shipper mods feel should be included. Everyone should take note that Pokeshipping, Advanceshipping and Contestshipping will be my primary guinea pigs in these examples. The underlines in this guide are all links (all below this intro paragraph), so be sure to click on them! =3 If you only need a specific thing to read use "ctrl + f" on windows or "apple + f" on macs and type in such things as "mods" or "postings". Since the FAQ will be long, I am providing you some humor/entertainment along the way so it’s more enjoyable to read.

A: A ship that is typically proven that the two characters/people involved ends up together romantically in the show/manga/real-life/movie/etc; best example is QuestShipping.

Q: What is “fandom”?

A: A group of people who supports the ship/show/manga (i.e. the Pokemon fandom). In the case of shipping, being a part of a ship’s fandom doesn’t make the ship “canon” as some people like to believe. Even though the ship might have the largest supporters in comparison to other ships, there are times where it will not become canon (i.e. Matt x Sora from Digimon).

~TOPIC POSTINGS~

Q: Can I post a discussion thread a.k.a be a thread starter?

A: Yes, you may. However, make sure that that there is no other thread that covers the same topic as the one you want to create. If the thread you find is closed OR if you can’t find it at all in the whole shipping forum, then go ahead. =) Right under the sub-forum, Shippers Fics, there should be a blue button like so:

Q: How can I make the first (introduction) post appealing/intelligent?

A: First, you need a title. No, it shouldn’t be “OMGZ LUGIA” and it should be following what mods in the past have suggested via SPPf’s General Rules and Announcements!!! It’s fine if you don’t feel like being creative and just say “________Shipping general discussion”. That would help everyone a ton. *shake hands* In your first post, recap what your shipping is about (i.e. characters/people involved) and the basic background of each character. Optional: Post a picture or two for each character to help new, potential supporters who are looking at your thread. A 200 x 200 image should be fine, but please try not to have a ridiculous large pic for it if you ever consider this option. Please take consideration for those of us who doesn’t want to scroll 1.5 pages because of heavy image(s). A very notable recommendation/suggestion*hint**hint* is to provide why you like the ship. We won’t care if you need 3 or 4 paragraphs describing the cute moments / personality match-ups / etc as long as you don’t post:

A: What’s clearly not optional is the fact that we can’t have people going:

“………………so in this ship there’s like may and ash and misty and dawn and drew and…………..”

OR

“Hi. This Thread Discusses The Relationship Of Ash/May.”

OR

“SoRrY BuT I TyPe LiKe ThIs.”

Sorry to say, but when mods see posts like this, you’re most likely going to be seen as a “black list”ed member, and behind you, a long line of annoyed members who would’ve been potential friends for you (after all, who doesn’t like intellectual discussions? ;3 ).

Q (Part 1-2): So then what do I do if I can’t do that?

A: Simple. Just use the basic English that your teachers taught you; place your capitalizations and punctuations in the correct places. You may add ellipsis (which is the three dots) at the end, before and/or between your sentence(s). Just try not to do it too much / use it on every single line of your post. Add meat/substance into your post. Keep questioning why you like it, why is it that reason, will it make a good discussion contribution, and so forth until you’ve managed to create a very nice paragraph (which is typically about 5 sentences with 8 being the most). Keep in mind that this is a forum, so if you don’t want to write an essay, we won’t force you to. We just want you to get the idea that our expectation is similar to that of an English teacher. Your English writing/speaking skill is what you hear, write, and type.

Q (Part 2): Alright. Now I just want to contribute to the topic. How can I?

A (Part 2-1): Usually there will be people posting up topic questions. You can easily join in the discussion by answering these “topic” questions. But first, check and see if the “topic” question is mostly or completely related to the thread’s general topic. (i.e. “Why do you like Advanceshipping?” in the Advanceshipping thread) If it’s on topic, you may then answer because you won’t be risking yourself for deduction of post count and/or infraction. When you respond to the question, elaborate your answer. Details, details, DETAILS! It’s as important as getting yourself the right nutrition everyday so that you’re healthy. The up-side to this is that you really show your fellow shippers that you really care about the shipping that you’re supporting; that it’s not something you just randomly waltz in and decided you’re a supporter. This will make your fellow shippers come to respect you. Doesn’t respect feel nice? =3

A (Part 2-2): No one-liners. We're tired and sick of it. Improve yourself for your own benefit and spare us from becoming insane so you won't be attacked by insane Cassie Shippers. (only those of you who really know what I'm talking about will get my "joke". Fine. Ignore what I said in this parenthesis. >>)

A (Part 2-3): If you want to make your own “topic” question, make sure it’s relevant to the general thread topic. (i.e. “Do you think the relationship between May and Drew is progressing in Johto?” in the Contestshipping thread) You may provide words after your question, such as “elaborate”, “explain” and so forth to make sure fellow shippers can contribute more to your topic. Won’t that make you happy that people seem to find your topic interesting, at least for a little bit? =)

Q: I want to talk about the things I do offline (i.e. "I'm going to the mall tomorrow =)"). Can I do so?

A: You have two options. Consider them wisely:

1.) Don't even think of doing it. You'll get hell. Trust me. Do it in your PM box and send it to one of your SPPf friend. That or create your own personal blog; LJ is a start.

OR

2.) Do it and risk yourself for looking like an idiot. (I don't mean to be rude, but this is a blunt fact and I don't want to go around the bush.)

Q: I’m so interested in this ship! The discussions have really inspired me to try and write fanfiction for it! Where should I post my fanfiction when I’m done with it? What should I do when I get there?

A: We have a sub-forum called Shipping Fics. Before you post anything though, read the Shipping Fics sub-forum’s rules and “know-how’s” before you post your fic. It is essential that you do so, because we can’t have you posting NC-17 fics without permission when this is supposed to be a G-rated forum. Another reason for that, you will want people who’ll review your thread with consistent praise as well as criticisms. That’s basically what writers love to see as they are part of the primary base of that inspiration.

The location of the sub-forum is near the top of the page. Follow the picture below:

Q: Now I finish posting my fic there and obeyed the rules. How can I get more people to go to my fic a.k.a fic advertising?

A: Easiest way to do this is to advertise it in your sig. Since you won't be penalized for having SPPf/SPP links in your sig, use the privilege that the staff gives you. Also, the shipping mods allow you to advertise your fic once per update (i.e. Absolutely NO "Chapter 5 of Unbreakable is updated!" times 5). Do more than that and you're going to get hell. You can bet on it. The purpose of the "General discussion" threads are for discussion of your ship, not discussion of your fic, kthx. So if you're planning to use this privilege, you better make sure you're contributing something else to the discussion or else it's counted as full or 100&#37; advertising.

Q: How about AMV then?

A: It works the same way as fics. You may only advertise it once per new AMV. Your post must also contain something else other than AMV advertising, such as your response to the topic question.

Q: What if I don't want to do those stuff and just want to advertise my AMV/Fics?

A: You have two options. Yes only two.

1.) Don't post at all.

OR

2.) Get an infraction and have a mod on your tail. (; (Wow that sounds sexy. :x)

-=RESPECT POSTINGS=-

Q: Is my ship better than its rival’s/rivals’?

A: No. Each ship has its own up’s and down’s. You need to respect other shippers’ choices to gain back the same respect you want them to show towards you.

Q: They still don’t understand why I’m supporting this ship! Where did I go wrong?

A: Sometimes it’s better off to leave anti’s as they are. They’ll be dragging your tail more if you keep trying to shove your ship down their throat because you think it’s “canon”.

Q: I want to see how my ship is more popular than my rival ships! Can I do a poll of that sort? (i.e. “PokeShipping, AdvanceShipping, ContestShipping or PearlShipping?” poll thread)

A: No. The community can hardly (and I don’t mean never) prove themselves that they are mature enough to not start a FLAME WAR. When the community see a consistent “sportsmanship” between each other , a poll of that sort might be considered; but for now it’s a no-go.

Q: The thread of my ship is like a HQ for me. So is it alright if I bash my rival ships there?

A: One, bashing is not allowed. In addition, threads are by no means your HQ. Any shipper in the community is allowed to post in whatever thread they want (i.e. A Pokeshipper posting in Advanceshipping thread and an Advanceshipper posting in Pokeshipping thread).

Q: OMG. A shipper from my rival ship posted on my ship’s thread! What should I do?!

A: Calm down. Treat him or her like you would treat a new member. Do not start bashing him or her, especially the shipping(s) that he or she support(s). We want courtesy and peace in this community, not the opposite. Sometimes they just want to join in your thread to see why you enjoy supporting your ship. (a/n: Wow. Sportsmanship! HELL YEAH. <3)

Q: There’s this person who keeps on bashing the ship I support! What should I do?

A: Contact one of the section mods immediately. DO NOT, and we mean DO NOT, respond to the basher’s comments. Leave it up to the mods to deal with it because they know best. If you want to keep discussing your ship with your friends, ignore that stupid basher until the mods are able to get to it.

Where do people find those amazing, beautiful pieces of artwork you ask? PokemonSearch, of course.

PokemonSearch is basically a search engine that has compiled lists of fansites dedicated to the Pokemon anime, games, and manga - of course, shipping fanart sites included.

However, because it is in Japanese, people automatically assume they can't use it, but that isn't true at all. It's actually very easy to use, and you don't even need to be fluent in Japanese to use it.

Yay, you're there! Alright, now, where is the shipping section you ask? Click here and here to see where you need to be.

As you can see, the shipping category is broken off into subcategories. They are Anime, (Manga) PokeSpecial, Other [Video] Games, and Yaoi/Boys Love. Know where your shipping comes from? Skip ahead to the next step!

Okay, so here comes the part where you need to know a bit of Japanese.

Click your preferred shipping and you should get a page, and even more pages to click at the bottom, of results.

Check out whichever site you find interesting (by the looks of the banner, anyway, or even the name), and voila. You now have a bunch of sites to search through for art.

If the shipping you want is not on these lists, find the Japanese characters of both characters in the search engine, put the the "x" inbetween them (just c/p it straight from the website), and click the first button (right next to the search bar) to see if there are websites with fanart of your preferred shipping. It's not guaranteed your shipping will have fanart, so remember that.

If you need help navigating through the sites, PM Chelc or Kiori for help.

~=MODS=~

Q: But the mods are not here yet! Where are they?! I’ve been waiting for so long!

A: Mods have lives just like the rest of the members. They are, by means, humans not robots. They have their own personal lives to attend to.

Q: Does that mean this section needs more staff help? I’ll be glad to help!

A: No, no, no, no, AND NO. If the staffs of the section feel like they need help, they will request an admin to add one of their own staff or promote a regular member to become a new staff of that section. Members who ask will have an inconsiderably low chance of getting it in comparison to other members who did not ask for it.

Q: Are you sure 3 or 4 “active” mods are fine enough to handle it? I sure see quite a lot of SPAMs around here.

A: Yes they can handle it. Believe in them. They may be on vacation or have personal things to attend to, such as school. Once they get some free time to clean up the SPAMs, they’ll finish it as quickly as a lightning strike.

Q: Then why are they mods if they’re going to be inactive so often?

A: They were selected because of their excellent behavior around the community. Most/All the mods that are selected (at least in the Shippers forum) are fair. So listen to them when they say something! And as time progresses, they have more responsibilities to attend to irl, so that’s the reason why they suddenly become not as active as they used to be.

Q: How do I get a hold of a mod if I need their help?

A: PM them!! Although it might not be the best way, always, always, always PM them! The shippers mod are nice and are willing to help you out. Just be sure to return this kindness of theirs with courtesy when you ask them favors. For instance, use “Can” more than “Do this” when you request (examples shown below):
“Can you close this thread for me?” VS “Close this thread already!”

“This member has been bugging me. Can you please help me?” VS “Ban this stupid member already!”

See the difference? The "Can"s are (way) better sounding / awesome/ outstanding than the "YOU HAVE TO DO THIS", right? (It. Is. Awesome. You can’t deny it~ (; )

~FINALE~

(OMG. YES. IT’S FINALLY THE ENDING. Just so you all know, it was also a pain for me to get all this typed up. ;< So bear with me for a little more!)

Q: How do I have fun in Shipping now that it looks pretty much strict…?

A: Good thing you ask. We just need you to follow the rules. If you follow them and this guide, you should be okay and mods won’t be on your tail (as much). Once you get the hang of how it works around here, you know that you can add anything to your post as long as it still follow the rules. The mods also enjoy reading posts by members who are having fun just like other, regular members. *hint**hint*